Keys falling apart and/or water damaged

[essbeebee]

Hi all and Happy New Year to you.

I'm not having a good time with my VE keys (the normal ones, not the flip ones). The first key disintegrated in my hand after about a year of use and went everywhere. I reassembled it OK, but it soon did the same again several times and it never really worked all that well ever again (needed to really work the buttons). So, I started using the second key, but I went crabbing last weekend and it got wet and stopped working. I don't wanna break it open and WD40 it because I'm afraid that it'd start falling apart again like the first piece of cr@p. Don't wanna pay some extreme amount for a replacement either. Surprised these issues have not shown up here. So, two questions:

1. Is there a good way to fix a VE key so that it doesn't self destruct?
2. What's the best way to recover from a wet VE key?

Thanks.

 

[jasonsv6]

you can get them of ebay for about $20 then you just put your board in the new case
i had to replace mine cause i riped the buttons they click together and seam to be quite solid
be careful not to break the tabs and they will go bacj together fine

 

[vol800]

Hi all and Happy New Year to you.

So, I started using the second key, but I went crabbing last weekend and it got wet and stopped working. I don't wanna break it open and WD40 it because I'm afraid that it'd start falling apart again

1. Is there a good way to fix a VE key so that it doesn't self destruct?
2. What's the best way to recover from a wet VE key?

Thanks.

1. Seal it in lucite, wrap that in bubble wrap and lock it in a safe. lol.. just kidding m8- not dropping it / attaching it to a heavy key ring perhaps? - Haven't had any issues with the non-flip keys in the fleet at work (except after too many reps dropping them)

2. You said crabbing.. so I'm assuming salt water = double plus ungood. The salt water would have done more damage to the circuit board than anything else in the key. When I licensed a service centre for mobile phones, the Tech's there told me that phones dropped in salt water were occassionally redeemed by switching off immediately AND... flushing in fresh water before setting out to dry!!!!! More than 24hrs of salty water is definately fatal. sorry.

I'll leave it to more qualified people to hazard the cost of replacement- Sorry to hear your run of bad luck on them!

 

[essbeebee]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I couldn't find the $20 eBay keys Jason, but I will keep looking out for them, because, as expected, gently prizing open the key has caused it to become pretty loose.

Having opened it, the guts was pretty rusty, but I soaked it in some CLR and gave it a good WD40-ing. The battery was dead but the circuit board survived to face another day! If only they coated the insides with a water repellent when they assemble them, then it would save a lot of pain down the track. I guess that would cost 0.00001 cents more per key, so some bean counter kicked it.

I don't have a heavy key ring and I do know of a few other people in the fleet here who have suffered the magical key explosion syndrome, usually in the dark and in an inopportune place as per Murphy's Law. I reckon it's a crap design and I'd have my trusty VZ key back any day <sob>.

 

[essbeebee]

PS: why can't they be screwed together rather than snap clicked?

 

[jasonsv6]

.00002 cents for a screw thats why
keep a eye out for the key cases if your circut board is still good some silicon grese to waterproof it is a good idea i might have to do mine like that to safe gard

 

[jasonsv6]

COMMODORE VE KEYLESS ENTRY REMOTE CASE WITH BATTERY - eBay Keyless Entry Remote, Safety, Security, Car Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 01-Feb-10 20:30:09 AEDST)
key up for sale on ebay